Here are some interesting things you might not know about lightening:

Lightening Facts

Lightning fact #1: A single bolt of lightning can reach 30,000 degrees in temperature.

Lightning fact #2: Lightning travels at an average rate of 3,500 miles per second.

Lightning fact #3: The average bolt of lightning is a mere 1 inch in width.

Lightning fact #4: The lightning capital of the United States is between Tampa and Orlando in Florida, where the maximum number of cloud-to-ground strikes occur annually.

Lightning fact #5: The most common type of lightning discharges within a single cloud and doesn’t actually hit the ground. (Witze, 2011)

Lightning fact #6: You can determine approximately how far away a lightning strike is by measuring the time elapsed between the flash and the moment you hear thunder. (Every 5 seconds you can count between the flash and thunder is equivalent to about one mile, so a two second difference would mean the strike was less than half a mile away; a 10 second difference would mean it’s two miles away.)

Lightening fact #7: Lightening can and does strike as far as 10 miles away from where it is raining, so it’s possible for lightening to strike in an area with blue sky overhead.

Lightning Statistics

Lightning statistic #1: The largest single bolt of lightning ever recorded traveled a distance of approximately 100 miles, going from Waco, Texas, to north of Dallas.

Lightning statistic #2: Lightning fatalities tend to increase in proportion to the time spent outdoors: Lightning-related deaths start rising in April and declining in October, with a spike in June, July, and August.

Lightning statistic #3: Worldwide, some 100 lightning flashes occur every second, though not all reach the ground. (Witze, 2011)